THE NEFF ZONE -- BY JIM NEFF

CADILLAC NEWS -- MAY 10, 2025

The Oxford English Dictionary tells us there are 171,476 words in current use in the English language. Plus, there are new words being invented every day and old words being brought back into use. This means there are a lot of options for having fun with words. 

For instance, a new word combines two old words to identify our current spot on the calendar. “For parents, May has become the unofficial second December, a month packed with school events, sports tournaments, final projects and celebrations, all jammed into a calendar that seems to be working against you. The chaos and nonstop pace of May feels like December without the sparkle and gifts. Welcome to Maycember.”

Maycember affects the whole family. “For younger kids, May brings a string of time-consuming activities: recitals, teacher appreciation week, spirit days and classroom parties. For older kids, it means finals, projects, promotion ceremonies and non-stop sports.” How to cope with Maycember at: https://www.goodmorningamerica.com/family/story/maycember-real-parents-surviving-chaos-121398886. 

On one hand, you might think Maycember is groovy. On the other hand, you might be hacked that it's such a drag. “Can You Cats Dig This Hippie Slang?” clarifies how to accurately use terminology from the 60s to explain your  state of being.  “A few of these words survived and became part of our everyday lexicon, while others are relics of a more psychedelic time.” If you can you dig it, go to: https://wordsmarts.com/hippie-slang/. 

Hippie slang may seem amusing, but there are other words that are just plain silly. “The English language is full of twists and tricks wherever you look.” Don't lollygag (procrastinate) too long or people will think you're a hobbledehoy (awkward person).

Worse, you could be accused of being a troglodyte (old-fashioned). More silliness at: https://wordsmarts.com/bizarre-words/. 

Sometimes words are created by mistake. “When a certain word or spelling variation gets used often enough, it gains the attention of lexicographers and might eventually get the official dictionary seal of approval.” 

It's baseball season, so the word “umpire” is a timely example. It was originally “numpire,” in the French language. “Umpire became the official English version of the word by the mid-14th century, when it was used as legal jargon. It was eventually brought into gaming and sports (where it’s most commonly used today) in the early 18th century.” Five more of these accidents (including Scandinavia and the Abominable Snowman) at: https://wordsmarts.com/scandinavia-syllabus/. 

Occasionally, there's a familiar word that we recognize without knowing its true meaning. The word “manna” is used seventeen times in the Bible, but now it's being described as “white gold” by a Sicilian farmer. 

Giulio Gelardi says: "This is the famous manna, a white mineral-rich resin that has been used as a natural sweetener and medicinal aid for centuries. Manna harvesting (the practice of cutting the bark of Fraxinus ornus trees to collect their sap), used to be a common practice throughout the Mediterranean. For the past thirty years, Gelardi has made it his mission to put this Biblical superfood back on our tables and today this once-forgotten sap is being used by chefs and pastry makers in innovative ways.”

Harvesting manna is difficult, but can be lucrative. The retail price is around $235 for one kilogram (35 ounces). “Most chefs buy manna from the Madonie's Manna Consortium, a cooperative created in 2015 by Gelardi and other farmers to market manna products and promote manna harvesting to younger farmers.” Learn more about manna at: https://www.bbc.com/travel/article/20250328-the-return-of-sicilys-ancient-white-gold.

Finally, having fun with words leads to an interesting question. Is “funnest” an actual word? “Adding the suffix '-est' to a word amps up the intensity. Such is the case with 'fun' and 'funnest' — is 'funnest' even a word, or is it a linguistic taboo?” 

We have the official answer from Merriam-Webster. They say “funnest” is a perfectly acceptable word. “People are unjustifiably trepidatious about using the superlative form of the adjective 'fun.' The evidence shows  'funnest' appeared in print as far back as the 1870s, when it was used in a similar context to how people use it today. The word’s 150-year history can’t be denied.” (https://wordsmarts.com/should-funnest-be-a-word/)

They conclude: “It's okay to use simple terms to express ourselves — especially about how much fun we’re having.” So, with this in mind, go forth tomorrow and have the funnest Mother's Day ever!

Jim Neff is a local columnist. Read Neff Zone columns online at CadillacNews.com and NeffZone.com/cadillacnews.